Leap of Faith
by Inuchron
Summary: It all began on the rooftop of Central HQ, between a tired Colonel and a boy who's almost flying. Non-yaoi Roy/Ed interaction
1. Close Encounter

Hello there everyone!

Sorry it's been so long since i've written anything! I've been in Wales, out and about and generally swamped with homework so my creative side took a nose dive. Anyways, this was brought about by my musing about death and suicide while bored out of my skull in the library at school ( sounds emo doesn't it? ). Because of that, i'm sending out a warning of OOCness from both Roy and Ed. This fanfic was just a way of me expressing how i felt about stuff. I don't own anyone from the FMA universe.

Well, Enjoy!

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**Leap of Faith**

There was still an inordinate amount of paperwork to be done, but to Roy, taking a breather on the roof was the most important military decision he'd ever had to make. He gave a groaning sigh as he walked through the empty white corridors of HQ.

'_Night shift must not have started yet'_ he mused, rubbing the bridge of his nose vigorously to take away some of the ache in his head. It didn't work. The niggling throb remained in its place behind his eyes, sending bursts of fire-hot pain into his tired head. '_This is what I get for working overtime…'_.

He let his hand flop to rest at his side and turned down a dimly lit corridor towards a faded red door at the end. It was the stairwell that led to the HQ roof, and Roy was certain it would be empty. He'd be able to spend a few minutes alone up there with the soft starlight to soothe his head without worrying about being caught.

He stomped up the fifteen or so steps to the top and staggered to the edge of the roof, leaning on the high wall that stopped people walking off the edge to end up as abstract artwork on the pavement below and took a deep breath. Closing his eyes, he allowed his forehead to rest on his forearms. The soft melody of Central at night soothed the savage beast stomping around in his head. '_Aaah, that's much better…I can finally think again.' _Minutes passed and Roy stayed as he was, breathing in the slightly dusty city air, enjoying the solitude.

Then, there was another niggle in his head that had nothing to do with his paperwork-induced headache. '_There's someone else out here!'_ Immediately, Roy's head shot up and his obsidian black eyes scanned the roof top before closing in on a small figure standing on top of the wall, dangerously close to the edge. '_Who the hell is…?_' The starlight caught on a shoulder length braid of gold hair and a blood red coat and Roy knew instantly who it was. _'What the hell?'_ In an instant, Roy was beside the boy, but oddly, made no move to pull him back.

"What do you think you're doing Ed?" he asked mildly. There was no point in angering the boy. He might just do something stupid, like take that final step outwards towards the empty air. "I could ask the same thing of you Colonel." Ed replied in the same tone. His hands were in his trouser pockets and his sharp golden eyes stared downwards at the pavement below. The toes of his combat boots touched the abyss before him, hanging off the edge.

"You could, but I'm not the one about to jump." Roy placed his head in his hands and stared out into the night. Ed removed his gaze from the pavement and sent a piercing glare at his superior officer. "I'm not gonna jump, can't a guy stand on a wall anymore?"

"Your position says different." Roy argued. "Suicide isn't the answer you know."

"Of course I know! That's not why I'm up here!" Ed yelled. Roy sent the boy a flat look and turned himself round, supporting himself with his elbows so he could see Ed's face properly.

The boy seemed to be in another world at the moment, the anger he'd just displayed gone and replaced with a thoughtful look. "Are you going to tell me the reason? Or am I going to have to waste my time standing here to make sure the wind doesn't blow you off?" Roy asked with a smirk. Ed's thoughtful face turned angry again, though he didn't yell or go off on a tangent like he usually would.

"I'm thinking alright!" He finally snapped.

"Thinking about what?" Roy wanted to know what would drive Edward to the HQ roof to think.

"Death." A swift reply with no emotion.

"Ah! So it is suicide!" Roy grinned, though humourlessly. He received a light kick to the head with an automail foot for his pains.

"Stop saying that, or I really will jump." Ed growled. A moment of silence passed between them, a soft wind brushed past and chilled the night air. "How long have you been out here?" Roy asked quietly, not wanting to break the reflective mood they seemed to find themselves in.

"About three hours."

Roy was shocked. He quickly checked the time on his pocket watch. _'It's quarter to 4 in the morning already! And he says he's been out here since one…'_ "So, with all this thinking you've done. What have you decided about death?" Ed didn't answer straight away, but stared up at the stars, then back to the ground, then to Roy.

"I just keep thinking about what would happen if someone I loved died." He whispered, "Would I keep living? Or would I be so overcome by grief that I'd kill myself?"

"See, you were thinking of suicide." Roy muttered. Another swift kick to his head shut him up.

"Keep saying that and I'll throw _you _over myself." Ed hissed. "And I'm trying to be thoughtful and deep for once, but you keep interrupting."

"Sorry Fullmetal, carry on. You were saying?" Ed sighed.

"It's hard to explain." Ed hummed, brushing his bangs out of his face before poking Roy in the shoulder. "Stand on the wall."

"What?!" Roy gasped. "Why?"

"Just do it so I can explain!"

"You promise not to push me off?" Ed smiled maliciously at him, but Roy heaved himself up and stood next to the boy, toes hanging over the edge like Ed had his. Like this, Roy could see the entire of Central and standing with his toes over the edge, he felt like he was flying. Ed took a breath and began.

"Standing up here and looking at that drop…" Ed trailed off. Roy could see he was having difficulty putting his thoughts into words. Ed shook his head and began again.

"You hear about all these people dying because loved ones pass away, or committing suicide because they 'can't take it anymore.' I know I'd be tempted to do something if someone close died, hell _anyone_ would, but then I got to thinking, '_what would my death accomplish_?'" A breeze pushed against their backs pushing them to the edge, but they stayed put. "My death wouldn't bring them back, and it would only make those left behind sad too. It would be selfish to do that…to pass on your suffering. It's like admitting you're weak." Ed's hand clenched into a fist. "Plus, you'd always be remembered for dying. What kind of memory is that to leave behind?" Ed glanced at Roy with a look of annoyance. "When I die, I want to be remembered for doing something great, not for jumping off the roof of Central HQ, because you know what I finally realised?" Roy shook his head and stayed silent, waiting for the boy to continue.

"_Death is for the weak."_

Roy stared incredulously at Ed. "What, you plan on living forever? Sorry Ed, not even the best alchemist can do that. You should know that."

"That's not what I said!" Ed shouted, his eyes blazing with passion. "I know I'm gonna die someday, but that someday will be a long way away, and it won't be because I took a knife to my wrist or took too many tablets. I'm saying that, after something terrible, you show weakness by letting that terrible something control _you_. True strength is being able to kick that something in the face and yell, '_I'm gonna live you bastard_!'" Ed added to his last statement by waving a fist in the air. Roy laughed.

"It's strange hearing something so grown-up coming from you Fullmetal."

"I have my moments."

"Not often." There was the thud of metal hitting flesh. "Ow."

"Serves you right."

Silence descended again, peaceful like a warm blanket as the chill winds continued in their task to push both men over the edge. Eventually, Roy checked his watch again and his eyes bulged. "Damn, it's already five thirty?!" He jumped down from the wall and ran to the stairwell. '_Hawkeye'll be here any minute and I still haven't finished that paper work!'_

"Stay strong Fullmetal! And I swear if I find a small splat on the pavement, I'll step on it!"

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING SO SMALL HE COULDN'T EVEN FILL A JAM JAR?" With that final jab, Roy was running at breakneck speed back to his office in the hope Hawkeye hadn't arrived yet.

On the roof, Ed sighed and stared once more at the pavement below. "Yep," he told himself forcefully. "Death is for the weak" A hop and he was standing back on the tarmac of the roof. Sauntering to the stairwell Colonel Mustang had fled down, he grinned, "and no matter what happens, I'll survive. I'm strong." He thought of Al. "I have to be."

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And there you go.

It's prolly not what you were all hoping for, and to be honest, it didn't really go where i wanted it to, but it's alright in my book.

Also, i wish to say a big **thankyou** to everyone who's reviewed, favorited or alerted me. It means a lot and i feel wonderful when i read them! Sorry i haven't replied to anyone, but i feel strange if i try, but that doesn't mean i don't appreciate you! i really really do!

So, if you liked this fic, REVIEW!!! hehe.

(PS i plan to do a next chapter of this, though i don't know when it'll be out or if i want to make this into a proper multichapter story...sigh, my brain needs a rest)

Much love, Inuchron


	2. Summer

Well now...here's chapter 2 of Leap of Faith (long time comming ne?)

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**Summer**

It was the fourth day of the hottest summer Central had on record and Colonel Roy Mustang was once again stalking down the halls. "Damn weather" He muttered, swiping at a stray drop of sweat dangling piteously from the end of his nose.

A glass of rapidly melting ice was clutched greedily in an ungloved hand while the other pushed up a navy blue sleeve, discoloured slightly by moisture. Ordinarily, Roy would have been outraged at his state of dress but the sight of Generals sitting in stuffy offices, uniform in the same sorry state as his, was enough to satisfy his inner critic.

He continued to stalk down the corridors, keeping a watchful eye out for the distinctive blonde hair of the 2nd Lieutenant. He snuck into the hidden corridor and let out a sigh of relief, he'd escaped Hawkeye once again. Taking a well-deserved sip of his melted water, he let a smug grin fly onto his face. While the other men (and women) in HQ drowned in the heat, he was escaping to his private paradise of cool. Indeed, the roof was the only place to go on a day like this.

The grin flew away again when Roy realised his gateway to freedom was locked. "What the hell?" He whispered, worried that Riza had finally realised the roof was where he disappeared to during his frequent 'breaks'. He pushed the door one more time to check if it was really locked before he took a step back and glared, hoping the intensity of his gaze would somehow open the door.

After a minute of failure, Roy suddenly remembered something. "I'm an alchemist!" He quietly exclaimed, excited by this new revelation before feeling slightly stupid at not remembering that fact right away. "Damn heat." Yes, that was it; the heat was getting to him. Roy laughed at the irony as he pulled out a stick of chalk. There was no point adding to his discomfort by adding fire to the already heated air.

With a quick flash of blue light, a smaller door opened and Roy finally stepped onto the staircase to the roof. Already, he could feel a slight wind whispering through his hair, cooling him down. Another sigh, this time of contentment escaped him as he closed his eyes to feel the full effects of the wind.

He stopped at the top of the staircase and opened his eyes. As he did so, all feeling of contentment escaped him in one flying leap. Standing at the edge of the roof, elbows resting peacefully on the wall, was Edward Elric. What was even more disconcerting was that said Elric was wearing nothing more than a thin white t shirt and a pair of blue shorts.

For a second, Roy had no idea about what to do. He could sneak down the stairs and forget all about coming to the roof ever again, or he could reveal himself, cool down and hopefully leave before he got into a fight with the midget alchemist. Just as he turned to leave, Ed's voice came at him. "How the hell did you get up here?" He said in a fairly bored tone.

Roy sheepishly turned back, trying to regain any dignity he could at having been caught trying to sneak away. He plastered that condescending smirk on his face, the one Ed hated to see as he walked up to him. "It's called alchemy, Ed. I'd think someone of your stature would know."

"Argh, lay off it Colonel Bastard, it's too hot." Ed moaned, slowly sinking into a sitting position. Roy took the boy's comment as an invitation to stay, and leant on the wall as Ed had been, setting his glass down with a click.

It was silent for a moment, and Roy took the opportunity to look down at the boy. Ed's unusual attire was surprising to the colonel, as the boy generally tried so hard to keep himself and the automail covered up.

"What's up with the new gear Ed? Finally grow out of your old stuff?" Ed glared at him, too hot to even try to correct the Colonel on his comments about his height. "No, idiot." Ed finally growled back, "It's 'cause I'm hot."

"I wouldn't say you're hot, more like average." Roy replied, his tone deadpan. Ed stared up at him confusedly for a second before he realised.

"What the hell! You really are one perverted bastard." He scooted away from Roy, keeping a glare going from the corner of his eye.

"I'm not perverted, I'm hot." Roy smirked.

Ed rolled his eyes at the actions of the Colonel and rubbed at the connection between his neck and automail port. Roy noticed it looked a nasty red colour, like sunburn. The connection on the automail leg looked about the same. Ed noticed him staring and sighed. "Al should be back soon with some ice." It was Roy's turn to look confused.

After a long considering look, which made Roy feel as though Ed was sizing him up in his mind, Edward gave another sigh. "Automail is metal. Metal heats up in the sun. Metal heating up when attached to your body can lead to burning. That's why Al's gone to get some ice. We're trying to bring the temperature down before the burning gets any worse."

Roy looked at the young alchemist beside him with sympathy in his eyes. He knew what burns felt like. Suddenly, he remembered the glass of ice water he'd brought up. He grabbed it and offered it to Ed. "Here this should hold you till your brother gets back."

Ed was surprised by the softness in Roy's voice and cautiously took the glass, digging his biological fingers into the water before fishing out a mostly intact ice cube. He placed it on his shoulder and rubbed it around, before it melted and he repeated the action on his leg.

All through this, Roy watched with detached fascination and wondered why the boy had given him that piece of information on the automail. Normally Ed would've shouted at him to '_mind your own business bastard_!' But today was different. Roy shrugged and looked away as Ed poured the melted water onto the arm and smiled as the metal cooled slightly.

After a minute, the sound of clanking caught both of their attention and a suit of armour appeared in the stairwell, a small bowl of ice clutched in heavy gauntlets. "Sorry I took so long brother, but the people at the ice machine wouldn't let me have any and…oh, hello Colonel!" Alphonse gave a quick, but polite bow to Roy and hurried to his brother, passing him the bowl of ice and passing a quick glance between the empty glass and the Colonel.

Roy swore he saw a smile light up Alphonse's face at that moment and he looked away, slightly worried about his mental state.

Ed made a happy sounding gurgle as he stuck his metal hand into the bowl and let it sit there, adding a few cubes to his metal leg every now and again. It was then it occurred to Roy how childish the Fullmetal Alchemist; Hero of the People was being at that moment and laughed loudly, starting to walk away.

"Hey, where you going?" Ed asked, a slight frown marking his face.

"I'm getting back to work. Hawkeye already has reason enough to shoot me today, I'm not letting her add 'lateness' to those reasons."

Ed scoffed. "Like you do any work." Roy let that comment slide and started to make his way down the stairs. A sudden thought occurred to him, and Roy grinned an evil grin. "Hope you kids have fun with your little ice party!" He called up, and dashed through the door before any harm could befall his person.

As he entered his office on the other side of the building, Roy would swear he could still hear the kid ranting about his parting shot.

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Again, it's prolly not gonna go in any direction you thought it would to go (sorry about that!), but the direction i've taken it in should hopefully still make a good read.

Anyways, i've thought of a bunch more one shots to go with this, all to do with interactions between Ed and Roy over a period of time, all happening on the roof.

Hope you enjoy the strange, non-sensical direction i've taken the fic to, and i hope you continue to read!

Much loves

Inuchron


	3. Terrors

Hello to all!

Sorry this has been a while in coming (since i said i'd put it up before my Geog trip), but meh, i hit a lazy streak and for some reason, i just couldn't finish this. I finally got myself back in writing gear and finished it so here it is for your reading pleasure!

Enjoy!

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**Terrors**

The night had never been so quiet, or the wind on the roof so still as it was that night. Even the sounds of the city had quietened to nothing more than a pathetic whimper in the inky blackness.

Roy stared over the edge of the roof, where Ed had perched himself not that long ago and let out a trembling sigh, swiping a hand through short black hair slicked in a cold, trembling sweat. He scoffed when he realised it wasn't only his voice that was trembling.

He slid to the floor, hunching over like a frightened child. Clenching his hand tight into a white-knuckle grip to hide his weakness. Roy placed his fist to his temple and made circling motions in the hope it would cleanse his mind from the nightmare. Or was it a memory?

_The rattling thunder of guns close by, the sickening thuds that should've been too far away to hear echoed disturbingly loud in his ears. He watched his fingers, clothed in gloves of pure white, contrasting brilliantly with the blood and mud that splattered over his uniform. _

_He stared in horror as his thumb and forefinger came together in that symbolic pose of death, could hear his mind scream at him to '_STOP_!' but being too late. The spark was lit, the firestorm exploding outwards and the terrified faces of his victims, disappearing in the flames, ghostly hands pointing at him, accusing him of their deaths. Wanting his life, his death in place of theirs… _

The murderous bang of the metal stairway door being flung open jerked Roy from his musings, terrifying him for a moment that his nightmare had come alive, the souls he'd murdered coming for him in his sanctuary of Central's rooftop, but no, something worse now stood before him.

"Up here again Colonel?" Asked Ed, his small form silhouetted against the light from inside the stairwell. Roy groaned and held his head in his hands. He didn't have strength to deal with the boy right now, couldn't Ed see that? "Hey, Mustang…You alright? Where's that stupid smirk and cocky attitude gone eh?" Ed was cautiously inching closer.

"Not right now Ed, I'm not in the mood." He hissed in reply, hoping the boy would get the hint and back off, hopefully back to the dorms or wherever Ed slept while he was visiting Central. Unfortunately, Ed did no such thing and instead came closer still, approaching him as if he were some timid beast.

Roy was about to snap at Ed to leave him be when he noticed the state Ed was in. His skin was pale, covered in a light sheen of sweat much like his own, the droplets shining in the dim light of the stars. An outstretched hand, his flesh one Roy noted, was halted trembling in the air, like Ed was reaching out for him in the darkness.

His hair, usually neat and out of the way in a customary braid was loose, falling damply past his shoulders. "Mustang?" His voice called again, and Roy heard the faint tremor in it. Unable to stand seeing a similar pathetic ness mirrored in someone so unbreakable like Ed, he turned until he sat with his back towards Ed and the light, facing out to the dark, unforgiving sky.

"Just go away Ed, I already told you, I'm not in the mood to play tonight." Roy hissed between gritted teeth, eyes firmly placed upon the concrete floor. He heard footsteps approaching again and was about ready to flame roast the boy when suddenly he felt a slight weight against him. "Good." Ed said, settling down so his back was against the Colonel's. "Neither am i."

The two of them sat back to back for a long time, each taking comfort from the others warmth. Eventually, Ed turned his head so he was looking at the Colonel over his shoulder. "Sorry about this Colonel." He whispered. Roy too turned to stare at the boy.

"What are you apologising for?"

"Well, you were obviously in a bad mood. I didn't mean to just barge in on your little sulk fest. It's just…" Ed trailed off and leant a bit further into Roy's back. It was strange, Roy thought. Usually Ed hated the idea of touching anyone, what was so different about now?

Roy waited for the boy to continue, but when it became apparent Ed wasn't willing to explain he gave him a gentle nudge with his elbow. "Hmm?" Ed's head perked up.

"What were you going to say?" Ed faced the ground before speaking again.

"Alphonse wasn't in the dorm when I woke up from it. I guess I panicked so I came here, and then you were here too, and it's been ages, I just needed some time I guess. And you looked like you needed it too." Roy mulled over what Ed had said for a minute.

"I hope you know that what you said doesn't really make sense?" Roy asked. Ed groaned behind him. "I can't really explain more. Don't make me or I may have to hurt you."

Roy let out a strained laugh, and silence descended once again.

Roy began thinking. The boy had obviously had a nightmare, same as him, and had come to the roof to get away from it, same as he did. But what did the boy mean by, '_it's been ages_,' and that '_he needed it too_?' Roy sighed when he realised he'd never get his answer from Ed, and was slightly surprised when he felt deep breathing and a snore emanate from the boy's still body.

With a small grin, Roy allowed himself to lean against Ed, and entertained the thought of waking him up with a comment on how Ed seemed to sleep a lot despite his small stature obviously not needing as much energy… No, there would be no bickering tonight; there was enough conflict in their dreams.

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There we go, Chapter 3 of this strange 'not-quite-a-multi-chapter' fic.

I purposley left Ed's reasons ambiguous so you can try and figure it out yourself (if you want). You can put your guesses in a review if you so wish, and those who get it right can have an honourable mention in teh next chapter (smile). Heh, i might do this type of thing more often...

Review! Else the Spork army will eat you.

Love Inuchron


	4. A Brief Interleude

Yo all!

Another installment of LOF! Yay! I finally got it up!...ooh, that sounds wrong.

Anyway, as promised!

I dedicate this chapter to **Animefreak892cool4u **who correctly guessed what last chapter was about!

I also say a big thankyou to **Roarargh **and **Kikyo-killer2.0 **for coming close (smile)

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**A Brief Interleude**

Roy had never realised just how big Central Library was until he had been given the task of dragging Ed out of whatever nook or cranny he'd hidden himself in, Alphonses' worried voice echoing around in his mind.

After an hour of stalking through whispering corridors filled with alchemic journals and a productive detour to flirt with a pretty lieutenant down the History section(he'd gotten her number), Roy finally decided that the best course of action would be to ask the librarian, God of all things literary, if she knew where Ed was.

"Ed? I'm sorry Colonel, I don't know everyone by name yet. I'm new you see. Could you describe him?" She giggled when he found her, slowly making her way through the romance section. Roy was about ready to throttle the poor woman. How could she not know who Ed was? Heck, even the people all the way out in East City's prison knew about the Fullmetal Alchemist.

"The Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric?" He sighed. She continued to look at him, a blank smile on her girlish face. " Long blonde hair in a braid? Red coat? Golden eyes?" More blank smiles. "Usually has a big suit of armour following him?" If the librarian didn't know him from that description, Roy didn't know what he'd do.

Finally, the librarians face seemed to slowly scrunch up in thought. Deciding to give the woman a break, he added the last nail to the proverbial coffin, "He's short."

Roy gave a loud cheer of joy in his head when the librarians face suddenly lit up like a dim light bulb in a power surge. "Oh! You mean him!" she squealed. Honestly, a woman in her profession and age shouldn't be able to squeal. It was unnatural. "He's in one of our private reading rooms, do you want me to take you there?" Roy nodded his head quickly and dutifully followed the odd woman back through the maze of shelves.

"Here we are!" The librarian sang. Roy cringed at the volume, but smiled politely and said a quiet 'thank you' as he dismissed her. With a loud giggle, she disappeared again into the deep, dark shelves of the romance section. He sighed in relief and readied himself to face an irate Ed, though secretly, he knew the boy wouldn't realise he was there until at least the third short joke. The boy had annoyingly incredible focus after all.

The door opened with a creaky groan, and instead of being met with the grave-like silence he'd come to associate with Edward studying, Roy's ears were met with the sound of soft, choral singing. It almost felt like stepping into the middle of a church service, an ethereal calm permeating the air. Surely it couldn't be Ed tucked away in this peaceful room? That silly librarian…

He stepped quietly into the room so as not to disturb whomever really resided inside and had a quick look to check this room off as being 'Ed Free'. However, what he discovered had his jaw hanging and a smile threatening his face.

Piles of alchemic texts lay in a haphazard array of order, each stack looking on the verge of tipping over, yet stubbornly defying gravity by remaining upright. The singing came from an old gramophone in the corner, a needle gently swaying over the ridged surface of the record. Most of the furniture that had once littered the room was now pushed back against the dark, wood panelled walls, all apart from a large, deep red sofa chair and matching stool.

In the chair, practically sinking into the down filled cushions was a boy with long blonde hair tied up in a messy braid, a red coat nestled over the back of the chair and golden eyes shut loosely in a deep peaceful sleep. A leg, the automail one, was propped up on the footstool and in the boy's lap, open in the middle with a flesh thumb holding it's place, was a book.

Taking care to be as quiet as possible, Roy crept further in. His military issue boots made a soft 'thud' as he tried to ghost over the polished wooden floor towards the boy. Gingerly placing a gloved hand on the back of the chair, he leant down to look at the book in Ed's lap, half expecting it to be an alchemy text.

He was extremely surprised, then, when he read a small passage from the book and found that it was in fact a book of fantasy. He stepped back slightly in shock. Ed couldn't possibly be reading a book that wasn't about alchemy. It was unheard of!

Roy stepped back up and leant closer. Ed's chest was rising and falling slowly, his breathing deep and even. Those gold eyes, usually so alert and calculating were closed softly and the dark rings under his eyes told Roy that Ed - as Al had told him – hadn't slept much in the last few days.

Roy stood upright, and his eyes grew unfocused for a second. He now had a decision to make. Should he wake the boy and ruin what might be the first good rest Ed had had in a while, or could he allow himself to be seen carrying a comatose Ed through the barracks to the dorm where his brother was anxiously waiting?

His mind was torn for a minute before a strange feeling welled up inside him and his decision was made. Now all he had to do was figure out how.

With a gentle motion, Roy pulled the book out of Ed's hand and tucked it under his arm. He then snaked an arm round Ed's back and under the boy's legs and with a careful movement, lifted the boy up. Through it all, Ed didn't wake up, though his fist clenched and he curled into Roy's chest slightly. That strange protective feeling returned to him, and he smiled down at him.

"Come on Ed, your brother's waiting for you." He whispered, turning towards the door as the record on the gramophone slowly wound down to its end.

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Heheh, i was going to put this up as a seperate one shot, but it just followed on so nicely from the last installment that i decided to use this as an interleude (i shamefully can't spell that).

Hope you enjoyed and please remember to **REVIEW!**

The plot bunnies will love you for it and i won't have to hunt you down and eat you.

Love, Inuchron


	5. Visiting

Yo!

I return from the dreaded abyss of lazyness with a new chapter!(Finally! I hear you cry). Heh, it really has been ages and i have no good excuse. Oh well, at least i've done one! ( I get a little bit of credit...don't i?)

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**Visiting**

Roy's surprise at finding Edward on the HQ's roof was minimal now, almost non-existent. The two of them had met often enough on the roof in the past few weeks that it was sort of comforting to see the familiar red coat, half-reclined over the retaining wall.

Wanting to set the mood, Roy called out, "Morning shrimp" in a sarcastically jovial voice, hand raised in a wave. He stopped walking, safely out of Ed's reach and waited for a reaction.

All he got was a distracted "Hey bastard" as Ed continued to recline against the wall.

Roy's brow furrowed with concern as he edged up towards Ed. After all, not even the homunculi could get away with calling Ed 'shrimp', and they had the very real power of crushing the boy into nothing if they felt like it. Whatever had distracted Ed was probably important, more important then defending his (lack of) height from Roy's playful jabs.

"Ed?" Roy asked. He carefully laid a hand on the boy's flesh shoulder and shook it a little. That seemed to bring more light into Ed's golden eyes.

"Eh?" he grunted. Roy shook his head and removed his hand.

"You seem a bit distracted today, Ed. You didn't even hear what I said." Roy smirked. An automail fist playfully collided with his ribs.

"Don't think I didn't Colonel Bastard. I heard you loud and clear." Ed narrowed his eyes in Roy's direction and moved over a bit. Roy took that as an invitation to join him.

"So…any reason I haven't been beaten up yet? Or have you finally come to terms with your shortness?" Roy coughed as he was once again punched, not so playfully this time. He had a smile on his face anyway, and that seemed to force a smile out of the boy next to him. "I'm in a forgiving mood." Ed teased.

"Oh really?" Roy answered, massaging his abused ribs. Ed gave him a mocking grin before his flesh hand, hidden in his coat pocket all this time, clenched around something. His smile disappeared quickly and was replaced by a distracted frown.

Roy idly stared at the lump in the boy's pocket and wondered what was in it to cause such a reaction. "Is that a fist in your pocket, or are you just pleased to see me?" He choked out with a laugh, before ducking a particularly enthusiastic swing from Ed.

"You really are sick you know?" Ed growled, settling back down.

"Sorry, I just couldn't resist." Roy cautiously straightened himself. With no forthcoming action from Ed, he poked his shoulder, just like Hughes did when Roy was trying to ignore him.

Ed growled again, before giving out an exasperated sigh and pulled his flesh hand from his pocket, along with a slightly rumpled piece of paper. Roy held out a hand, nodding to it, silently asking Ed's permission to read it. Edward hesitated, and handed it over. "You better not laugh or anything like that okay?" He mumbled, cheeks turning slightly red.

Roy was intrigued now. What could be on this paper to cause Ed to blush? He unfolded it and straightened out a few creases and saw that the paper was actually a letter. From the handwriting, it looked like a girl had written it, though there were a few small oil stains littering the page. He gave a sidelong glance at Ed, who gave a small wave for him to continue. "It's from Winry." Ed whispered.

The beginning seemed straight forward, just some random replies to a previous letter and a severe warning that the brothers were to take care of themselves (Roy had to give her points for hope), the middle of the letter was addressed to Alphonse with some special instructions on something to do with Ed's automail (Roy didn't read it out of respect), but the last paragraph was addressed to Ed.

"_I'll be in Central next week! I bet you've forgotten what next week is, so I'll just have to remind you! It's my birthday! So you better be there to take me around Central and buy me lots of gifts with that alchemist's grant you get. If you aren't, I'll track you down and beat you senseless with my wrench! Hope you guys can meet me at the station._

_Love Winry"_

Roy stared at the letter for a moment, trying to figure out what about it could distract the young alchemist so much. Surely there wasn't anything bad in the letter was there? He quickly skimmed it again and found nothing. "I don't see any problem Ed. What's got you so distracted?" he asked, curiosity craving an answer.

Ed scratched the back of his head and his cheeks flamed redder than his coat. "Well…you see…Winry's coming down for her birthday…" He trailed off, and began muttering to himself. Roy sighed, then poked the boy again.

"So what if she's coming down. She's done it before right?" He thought back, and remembered a few times he'd seen Ed and Al walk past HQ with a pretty blonde girl in tow. Ed nodded mutely. "What's so different this time?" He asked.

He sighed. "This time it's her birthday. I want to do something special, y'know?" Roy nodded his head.

When it had been Riza's birthday, he and the men had taken her down to 'The Rising Sun' restaurant for a special birthday meal. It was an expensive establishment that had a month long waiting list but it had made her smile so much that even Fuery getting drunk hadn't spoiled the evening. The insane size of the bill didn't compare to the joy of seeing Riza happy.

"I know what you mean" Roy smiled at the memory. Suddenly, he felt a very hesitant touch on his arm. He looked to see Ed was the culprit, and his face was so red now that had Roy not been trained in alchemy, he'd be worried the boy would explode.

"In that case, can you…uh…help me out?" Ed's voice was so pleading and embarrassed to be asking for help that Roy instantly nodded.

"I know a few nice restaurants 'round Central you could take her to." He put a hand to his chin in thought. "The Rising Sun would be impossible to get into with such a late booking, but you can try The Laughing Man. I've heard from Falman that lots of people go there for a romantic evening."

"Hmm…she might enjoy that…wait, WHAT?!" Ed choked. "Gah! No! No romance!" He looked as if he wanted the roof to swallow him up right then and there. His face had paled, then reddened again into a soft tomato colour and he it behind his hands.

"You don't want to romance her then?" Roy snickered. Ed's face went that explosive colour again so he decided to give the kid a break. "Don't worry Ed, there's another place you can take her to." Ed peeked out from behind his hands, showing he was listening. "It's called the Engine Room. I went there with the guys once. It's loud, friendly, and the best place to have a get together." Ed seemed to be thinking it over, his hands slowly falling from his face.

"The Engine Room eh?"

"Yep, it's near the suburbs, so quite a walk from the station but it's defiantly worth it. Not too expensive either." He gave Ed an encouraging smile, then grabbed a hand and handed the letter back. Ed returned to his distracted haze, so Roy gently pushed him towards the stairwell. Ed stumbled slightly, before straightening and glaring back.

"Go book some reservations Ed, she'll love you for that." Roy advised, smirk back in place. The glare softened and Ed nodded with a small smile and walked down the stairs. He was almost out of sight when Roy couldn't hold it in anymore and just had to shout, "She'd love you more if you went to the Laughing Man!"

The next day, people knew better then to ask why Roy had a black eye.

* * *

Heh, my love of canon somehow slipped in there. Wonder how that happened? XD

Anyways, since i've signed myself up for the torture that is NaNoWriMo, i plan to get at least this one finished before November. That month is just completly given over to writing 50 000 words of craptacular novel :) Damn, i've basically just copied everything i've put on my profile here. Oh well.

REVIEW or the plot bunnies will attack your face with sporks!

Love Inuchron


	6. One Last Lead

I'M NOT DEAD!...Just resting.

heh, long time no see, but i do return with a chapter! Woo! Rejoice! Party!

Who can spot the incredibly geeky joke i put in? (You might spot it if you read Arakawa's little notes at the back of the manga). Oh yeah, one more thing, slight SPOILER for episode 25 (You know the one).

* * *

**One Last Lead**

Roy had been surprised so many times that afternoon; he couldn't help but wonder if the entire world was conspiring to give him a heart attack. He was only 29 for Alchemy's sake! Though it felt like he'd been 29 for far too long.

His first little surprise of the afternoon had been a nice one. Hawkeye had brought in some extra strength coffee for the men to share (which lessened the grumbles about overtime) and had allowed Roy to occasionally take a sip or two from a scotch bottle he kept hidden under his desk (to lessen his headache from his now hyperactive subordinates). Ah yes, Riza was an angel when she wanted to be.

His second surprise hadn't come until late that evening while he was having a stroll through the HQ corridors, meandering towards the doors to the roof and freedom. He'd reached the bottom of the stairwell and was about to start climbing when he was suddenly shoved roughly aside by a bundle of furious blonde carrying a hefty wrench under an arm.

He was about to call out to Ed when he realised that the shade of blonde was slightly too lemon yellow, and the hair was tied in a different style. The biggest hint that the furious blonde wasn't Ed, was the fact that it was wearing a skirt.

_That was Winry Rockbell, _Roy's startled mind supplied.

Roy made his way carefully up the stairs, just in case there were more stampeding blond's about, and peeked carefully around the rooftop until he saw the person he was searching for.

Edward stood at the edge of the roof, grumbling sourly and holding a hand tightly to his head. Roy could also see an irritated outline of a handprint covering his left cheek.

"So Ed," Roy said brightly, announcing to the boy that humiliation was swiftly forthcoming, "she hit you with a wrench and then slapped you. What did you do? Insult her automail?"

"Shove off Colonel. It wasn't like that." Ed hissed at him, eyes watering slightly at the stinging in his cheek and head.

"Oh, so she slapped you, _then _hit you with the wrench. I get it now."

"Kindly piss off and die." Ed's glare was downright ominous. Roy held up his hands as a sign of peace and cautiously approached.

"So, do I get an explanation?" He quipped, watching as Ed slowly removed the hand from the developing lump on his head to the red patch on his cheek. Ed grumbled a few more profanities under his breath before turning his burning gold gaze to Roy.

Ed gulped before guiltily looking away, the red handprint where Winry's hand made contact thrown into sharp relief.

"We found a lead on the stone." Ed whispered, "A real one". Roy instantly perked up and scooted closer to the boy. A moment's silence and Ed was talking again. "It's out to the West, in the wild country. They say there's an alchemist there that's been experimenting with red water. He might be able to help."

"Heh, _help_." Roy snorted disdainfully before his face fell in dismay that he'd voiced that thought out loud. He quickly turned to Ed to apologise, but found the boy had a wry smile on his face.

"That's what I was thinking." Ed began to rub the irritated skin on his cheek again. "And I told Winry about it."

"She didn't take it well?" Roy questioned. "I thought she knew about the stuff you guys did on your 'quest'"

"You got it wrong Colonel. You're losing your touch."

"Yeah well, Maes was better at getting information than me." Roy's tone had a bitter edge to it. Hughes' death was still a sore spot for him.

Ed gave an acknowledging grunt to stop Roy from delving any further into _that_ particular area. "Winry took it well enough, or…she would have. It's just that…we'd had a fun night down at The Engine Room for her birthday party, and I kind of…sprung it on her during a…moment." Ed's face flushed brightly as he said that, and the red of the slap was taken over by his blush.

Roy smirked.

"You have the worst sense of timing Ed." The boy in question groaned and sullenly nodded his head.

"I wasn't thinking, I just said it." He piteously slumped over the retaining wall. "She's never going to forgive me, is she?"

Roy set a thoughtful look on his face, and patted Ed's head like he would Black Hayate's. "She'll forgive you." He reassured. Roy felt, for a second, like a father giving advice to a son. "Just give her enough time to calm down, then turn up with a bunch of flowers and a pathetic expression and tell her it was all your fault and that you aren't worth the dirt beneath her feet. That's always worked for me."

"Hawkeye likes flowers then?" Ed smirked this time, and was able to catch the very faint blush on Roy's face.

"I said nothing of the sort."

"Your face says different." Ed chuckled; standing upright again.

His face slowly fell back into its usual sombre seriousness as a cold wind blew. "I'm gonna tell Al about the lead. We'll probably be leaving sometime during the week."

"Oh?" Roy questioned, raising an eyebrow, "why are you telling me this? You usually just leave a note."

A small trace of sadness crossed the boy's face. "I'm telling you, so you can hold onto this for me." Ed took a small silver key out of his pocket and held it out to Roy. "It's the key to my dorm. Give it to Winry after we've gone. Just in case, you know? I have a feeling this lead is going to be the one."

Roy's raised eyebrow fell and joined its brother in a frown. "You sound like you don't plan on coming back." Ed said nothing, grabbed Roy's hand and forced the key into it. Roy understood the silent request and curled his fingers around the key. Ed looked up with a 'thank you' in his eyes before turning and walking away.

Roy stood, staring at his clenched fist and decided he couldn't just let Ed disappear on him. The past few weeks and rooftop meetings had created a small shadow of what could have passed for friendship between the two, and Roy couldn't stand the thought of loosing another friend. It was then a small idea crept shyly into his head, and a lighter grin etched onto his face.

"Hey! Ed!" he shouted. The boy stopped mid stride and looked back.

"What?"

"Don't forget! Flowers and a pathetic expression! She'll forgive you after that!" He grinned at the boy. Ed's shoulders relaxed. He got the message.

"I won't forget Colonel Bastard! That's the only bit of good advice you've ever given me!"

"Then you'll have to come back and report your findings! I want to know if it actually works! You understand?" Roy commanded. Edward sloppily stood at attention and gave a mocking salute.

"Sir yes sir!"

"Dismissed!"

Afterwards, Roy sat in his office, a glass of scotch in one hand, Ed's dorm key in the other, with one eye on the calendar. He'd count the days till Ed returned, and pray the boy found what he was looking for.

He did have a back up plan of course. What self-respecting military man didn't? If worse came to worse and the brothers never returned, he'd give the key to Winry, live on until his death and meet Edward in whatever lay beyond life, just so he could thoroughly kick the crap out of the boy for making him wait so long.

After all, who said the Colonel couldn't hold a grudge?

* * *

Heh, there you go.

Now, i think there's only going to be one more chapter of this, as a sort of epilogue to this whole little series. Then, NaNoWriMo will be upon us (i've also just realised just how much 1,667 words is. I barely write over 1,200 in these oneshots. Oy vey).

Hope you enjoyed reading! Stay tuned for the last chapter, which should be coming out...soon. Oh, and don't forget to REVIEW! Else the Travelling Shovel of Death will find you.

Love Inuchron


	7. Epilogue

Yozzles!

Yay! I got this last chapter out before NaNo! Hehehe

* * *

**Epilogue**

Central in the autumn had never looked so gloomy. The few trees that littered the streets were already bare; their skeletal fingers reaching up to an overcast sky like desperate children of the earth, begging for release.

Roy sighed from his spot in his office. This was the third autumn he'd have to go through with no word from his shortest member of staff. He rolled the scotch in his hand round the glass, never taking a sip, but staring placidly out the large windows behind his desk. HQ really hadn't been the same since Ed left, and the long absence of communication with the boy left Roy with little hope of his return. He sighed again.

"Are you alright, sir?" Hawkeye asked, ever perceptive to her Colonel's mood. When he didn't reply, she cautiously moved to stand next to him in front of the window and with the confidence of a General, wrestled the scotch glass out of Roy's hand. When even that did nothing to stir the man out of his stupor, Riza joined his vigil.

"Central really is pretty this time of year." She said, trying to start a conversation. It didn't succeed, but then, she didn't expect it to. "All the gold and red." Roy flinched slightly and stopped looking, instead turning his gaze to the unfinished paperwork on his desk.

When he actually sat down and began to read through them, Riza knew he was upset. "No news is good news." She whispered. Roy huffed into his paperwork and massaged his forehead with a weak hand.

"It's been three years, Hawkeye."

"In all due respect sir, time means nothing."

"Three years without a single word." Roy whispered, signing his name blindly on a form before reaching into a drawer and withdrawing a small silver key. Riza had seen him peruse the little thing several times, and knew it was Edward's dorm key and that it rightfully belonged to Winry, the girl who sometimes accompanied Ed and Al to Central.

"You should give it to her sometime, sir." Riza cooed, not wanting to pressure her Colonel. Roy gave her a tiny smile, the one he only used in her presence to convey his feelings. "I'm afraid to." He admitted. "Because when I do, it's like saying Edward isn't coming back."

"He'll come back, whether you give the key to the girl or not."

"You sound so sure Hawkeye." Roy smiled at her again before depositing the key back into the drawer and closing it, keeping the thing out of sight. Riza softened and would have continued had _someone_ not stormed into the office.

"WHOA! Hold up!" Havoc shouted, coming face to face with the barrel of Hawkeye's gun and a gloved Flame Alchemist. He should have known better than to barge in unannounced. "I have something I think you both need to see." He finished; sweat slowly collecting at his temples and cigarette drooping in fright. When Hawkeye had lowered the gun and Roy lowered his fingers, Havoc grabbed both of them by the arm and proceeded to drag them out into the corridor and down to the main lobby.

"Havoc! What are you doing!" Roy shouted, worried the man had lost his mind. Beside him, Riza was watching Havoc carefully, her face turning to confusion as she spied a giant grin on the man's face. "Seriously, you're gonna shit yourself when you see!" He shouted, pushing past disgruntled men and superiors in his haste.

They entered the main lobby in a steam train of movement, until Havoc threw both Riza and Roy in front of him. "What the hell is going on?!" Roy ordered, turning on Havoc. The man just grinned a silly grin and pointed at something behind Roy.

"Hello Colonel Mustang, sir" A young male voice said, accompanied by a female's tittering.

Roy had never turned around so fast in his life, and his eyes had never gone so wide.

"You…you're…" He stammered, not quite believing what he was seeing. The young man in front of him, that voice…

"It's me sir," The boy said. "Alphonse." Behind was Winry, beaming for the entire world to see.

"Alphonse?" Roy stepped forwards. The boy had short blonde hair, not as gold as Ed's, not as yellow as Winry's and browner. His eyes bordered on gold, but were more of a light hazel. Surely this boy couldn't be the brother of Ed, restored to flesh. After all, he was _tall!_

"It really is Alphonse, Mr Mustang." Winry giggled as if reading his thoughts, but then her eyes softened and he giggles stopped to be replaced by a grin. "They did it in the end."

Her words, '_in the end._' Surely she couldn't mean…."Where's Ed?" Roy gushed. He didn't see the boy with his brother and Winry. That's where he should've been. An arm around Winry's waist, the other 'round Alphonse's now human neck. _Where was he?_

Winry lifted a hand, and pointed upwards and - _was that a ring around her finger? – _said, with the brightest gleam in her eye, "Where do you think?"

Roy was instantly running up flights of stairs, upsetting members of staff who had recently righted themselves after Havoc's rampage through the building, but he didn't care, _he had to see!_

In front of him was the door to the roof, now the staircase, now the expanse of roof and, in exactly the same place as he'd first found the boy, stood a short blond in a red jacket, standing atop the retaining wall.

"Hey Roy." Ed spoke, a cocky grin on his face, "You know what you said about girls…"

Roy could feel his eyes begin to sting and a second later, found Ed right in front of him. The boy looked tired, he stooped and something seemed wrong with his balance, but he was there! Roy hesitantly rested a hand on each of Ed's shoulders, just to make sure. "What about what I said?" he breathed, blinking away a traitorous drop of water.

Ed's eyes also seemed to become glassy, even as he held up an automail hand, a gold band around one finger.

"It works."

* * *

All together now! Awww!

Well, we've now come to the end of my first jaunt into the realms of multi chapter fanfics. I really hope you enjoyed reading these as much as i enjoyed writing them!

A huge THANKYOU! To everyone who's reviewed and Fav'd this. It really means alot to me, especially as i seem to find people returning! Woo! People like my stuff!

And to reward/torture you all a little bit (heheh), here's a little i made Omake for the end.

:)

From their hiding place in the stairwell, Riza, Winry, Alphonse and Havoc watched as the two friends finally reunited.

Evidently, the reunion had gone on too long for the ladies' taste. "Edward better get his hands off my Colonel." Hawkeye grumbled.

"Mr Mustang had better get his hands off my fiancé." Winry hissed back.

Alphonse and Havoc could only share a sigh.

:)

As Always, with lots of love and gratitude and 'sporks of death' if you don't review, Inuchron


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